Time for Kozhikode to learn Chekkutti making

Kozhikode: Chekkutty, the icon of the deluge-survived Kerala, reached the city on Friday with the artists’ collective expressing willingness along with Impresa, the traditional fabric selling business group, to make the dolls at Gandhi Griham.

The origin of the word Chekkutty itself is interesting. The word ‘Cheru’ in Malayalam means ‘slush’ and ‘kutty’ means child. According to the master brains that brought out the concept into reality, ‘Chekkutty’ is the ‘child who has overcome the ‘slush’ of Chendamangalam, a village of weavers near Paravur. 
The village is known for its centuries-old hand-loom industry.

'Chekkutty’ is a handmade doll with mired fabric which emerged as a symbol of survival of the flood within a few days of its birth. The idea took shape when Lakshmi Menon, a designer and Gopinath Parayil, founder and CEO of a travel company, decided to join hands to transform the damaged handloom sarees into dolls, aiming at extending a helping hand to the weavers.

‘Chekkutty’ hit record as the concept as well as the doll went viral on social networking sites. Inspired by the idea, hundreds of youngsters in malls, IT parks, educational institutions and business hubs, joined in camps to make Chekkutty dolls.

Anjali Chandran, the founder of Impresa, said the artists’ collective ‘Beyond the Blackboard’ is joining them from Friday. “Those interested should join with scissors and gel pens in the afternoon to chip in a share in rebuilding Kerala initiative by making Chekkutty dolls,” she wrote on her Facebook wall.